The trial of Edouard Mwangachuchu at the High Military Court experienced a turning point on Friday, May 26, when the defendant’s lawyers requested his provisional release for health reasons. Indeed, Mwangachuchu suffers from lower back pain and must attend several medical appointments, in Kinshasa and abroad, for appropriate care. The lawyers stressed that this situation requires the provisional release of their client.
However, the Public Prosecutor’s Office expressed his concern about this request, pointing out that the law does not provide for the provisional release of a defendant because of his illness. In addition, he raised questions about the ability of Congolese justice to compel a defendant who is abroad to return to the country at any time to respond to a judicial summons.
As a reminder, Mwangachuchu and his co-defendant are suspected of having maintained links with the M23 rebels. They are prosecuted for treason, participation in an insurrectionary movement, illegal possession of weapons of war following discoveries of weapons in the residence of Mwangachuchu in Kinshasa and in the premises of his company SMB in Masisi, North Kivu.
The trial has been adjourned to June 3 to examine the request made by the defendant.
In another area, the HJ Foundation has launched a call for mobilization and solidarity to help the victims of the floods in South Kivu. The toll of this natural disaster is heavy: more than 30 dead and hundreds of families affected. This situation requires humanitarian assistance to help the victims recover.
In another vein, the Democratic Republic of Congo has launched a call for tenders for the design and construction of a public building in Kinshasa. This project is part of the modernization of public infrastructure in the DRC.
Finally, France granted a grant of 500,000 euros to the NGO Action Contre la Faim to support food security for refugee women in Uganda. This grant will also help fight malnutrition and support local agriculture.
These various news testify to the abundant news in the DRC